Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival 2011

We Film Night

2011-06-01T11:13:00.000-07:00

A still from Africa UniteUPDATE: Donisha Prendergast, the granddaughter of Bob and Rita Marley, who is currently at work on a documentary about Rastafarianism, will be introducing Africa Unite and engaging in a Q&A with the audience at the screening on Tuesday.ttff/11 Night at WeBeatTuesday 7 June 2011, 7–9pmSt James AmphitheatreWestern Main Road, St JamesWe’re bringing you two movies during this

Sunday Nite Movie Lime

2011-05-23T08:52:00.001-07:00

A still from RainFancy catching a couple of great movies this Arrival Day weekend? If you're in Tobago you can do just that, at the Sunday Nite Movie Lime, which we're hosting along with the Division of Community Development+Culture of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA).The lime takes place this Sunday, 29 May, 7-9pm at the Buccoo Community Centre, and will comprise two films. The first is a

Q&A with Pascale Obolo

2011-05-10T09:19:00.000-07:00

Pascale OboloTomorrow evening the ttff will host an evening with Pascale Obolo, the director of the new documentary Calypso Rose: The Lioness of the Jungle. Born in Cameroon, Ms Obolo moved with her family to Paris when she was six. She studied filmmaking at the Conservatoire Libre du Cinéma Français and the University of Paris, and was one of the first people to document the Parisian hip-hop and

At the Miami International Film Festival

2011-03-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

One of the ttff's directors, Emilie Upczak, recently returned from the Miami International Film Festival (MIFF). Emilie sat down with me to discuss her experience.What were the reasons for you going to MIFF?I attended the festival as a representative of ttff in order to make links with another regional film festival, to network, to look for potential films for our programme and identify strategic

The Carnival Film Series

2011-02-18T13:02:00.001-08:00

Call for submissions

2011-02-17T17:02:00.000-08:00

Presented by Flow, the trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) seeks to highlight excellence in filmmaking through the exhibition of films made in the Caribbean region including Latin American countries in the Caribbean Basin, by Caribbean people of the Diaspora, and by international filmmakers that reflect Caribbean culture and way of life both in the Caribbean and the Diaspora.The Festival screens

Film review: The Solitary Alchemist

2011-02-01T09:24:00.000-08:00

A still from The Solitary Alchemist“Does suffering produce the best art? It’s not an original question, but it is one that prompts itself several times during the course of Brown’s portrait of the Trinidadian jeweller Barbara Jardine . . . The Solitary Alchemist is not so much concerned with what’s ultimately going to happen as it is with slowly and gently painting a picture of Jardine’s life and

Economist Film Project

2011-01-31T13:04:00.001-08:00

The Economist, in collaboration with PBS, has started an initiative known as the Economist Film Project. The project is meant to showcase the work of documentary filmmakers from around the world, and will feature, according to the organisers, "films whose new ideas, perspectives, and insights not only help make sense of the world, but also take a stand and provoke debate."Filmmakers whose films

The PUMA.Creative Catalyst Award

2011-01-14T08:59:00.000-08:00

Are you a documentary filmmaker with an idea for a film, or a film in pre-production, or the early stages of production? Then you can apply for one of 40 PUMA.Creative Catalyst Awards, worth 5,000 euros each.The call for applications closes on March 2, 2011.

Event: A conversation with Richard Fung

2011-01-05T08:53:00.000-08:00

A still from Richard Fung's Rex vs. Singh (2008). Image courtesy Alice YardThe Trinidad-born, Toronto-based filmmaker and writer Richard Fung will show his video Rex vs. Singh (2008) and engage in a conversation about his work at Alice Yard, Port of Spain, on Tuesday 11 January, 2011, at 7.30 pm.From the Alice Yard blog:Richard Fung is a Trinidad-born, Toronto-based video artist and writer. His

Film review: Moloch Tropical

2010-12-07T14:16:00.000-08:00

Zinedine Soulaem in Moloch Tropical "It would be unwise to set down Moloch Tropical as merely a dramatisation of the final chapter of Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s presidency. For to say it is a film à clef and no more is to deny Peck’s considerable gifts as a filmmaker as well as the potency of this film, both as scathing political satire and inventive, sophisticated chamber drama."-- From my review

Waste Land screening

2010-10-30T18:32:00.001-07:00

All are welcome to a free screening of Waste Land (winner of the People's Choice Award for Best Documentary at the ttff/10), being hosted by Studiofilmclub and Sustain T&T.Date: Friday 19 NovemberTime: 7.30pmLocation: Studiofilmclub, Fernandes Compound, LaventilleThe band Jewels of Nature will perform before and after the screening.A synopsis of the film:“The moment when one thing turns into

Film review: The Wind Journeys

2010-10-19T09:45:00.000-07:00

A still from The Wind Journeys"The film’s graceful cadences build unerringly to a largely silent climax, fitting since the dialogue is sparse throughout.... This silent treatment can be a risky ploy for an ending, even in a work as generally elegiac in tone as this one, the risk being that it comes off seeming anticlimactic or, worse, pretentious. The reason neither happens here lies both in

Film review: The Amerindians

2010-10-12T13:25:00.000-07:00

A still from The Amerindians"The Amerindians provides insights that should be included in any discussion of the island’s First Peoples and their descendents: about issues of accountability; about the connections between identity and politics; about who has the power to represent a group, and who should be included in the politics of representation; and about the forest as a form of education and

Film review: La Soga

2010-10-05T11:45:00.000-07:00

A still from La Soga"In spite of the bleakness of its subject and the hard-eyed realism of its perspective on poverty and violence, something of [a] 'state of ecstasy' manages to pervade La Soga, making it a crime thriller with a human face. From the opening sequence, the joyful bachata, Latin dance rhythms, and popular songs of the soundtrack are an upbeat counterpoise to the often distressing

Award-winning films: the final screenings

2010-10-03T22:10:00.000-07:00

A still from Children of God, winner of the award for best film made in the Caribbean spirit and winner of the people's choice award for best dramatic film, ttff/10Below is the schedule for the screenings of the ttff/10 prize-winning films. All screenings take place at MovieTowne, Port of Spain.Monday 4 October (today)8pm: Children of God (Kareem Mortimer, the Bahamas)Tuesday 5 October1pm: Waste

And the winners are...

2010-10-03T15:50:00.000-07:00

Jury awardsBest film made in the Caribbean spirit: Children of God, Kareem Mortimer, the BahamasBest film made in the Caribbean spirit, special mention: Alamar, Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio, MexicoBest Trinidad & Tobago film: Julia & Joyce, Sonja DumasBest short film: The Legend of Buchi Fil, German Gruber, CuraçaoActing awardsBest local actor: Errol Roberts, Quiet DesperationBest local actress: Helen

Schedule change

2010-09-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

A still from Themba (Stephanie Sycholt, South Africa, 2010)Please note the following changes to the ttff schedule.TODAY at 12:30pm, MovieTowne Port of SpainThe screening of A Hand Full of Dirt (as advertised in the newspaper) and Izulu Lami (as advertised online) will not take place. Instead, there will be a screening of Themba.We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Correction

2010-09-27T11:22:00.000-07:00

A still from Terra Estrangeira (Walter Salles & Daniela Thomas, Brazil, 1996)The film festival catalogue lists the screening of Terra Estrangeira at Studiofilmclub as taking place on Friday 1 October. This is incorrect. The screening is on Thursday 30 September, at 7.30pm. One of the film's directors, Daniela Thomas, will be in attendance.We apologise for any possible inconvenience caused.

Schedule changes

2010-09-25T05:17:00.000-07:00

A still from Maaangamizi (Martin Mhando + Ron Mulvihil, Tanzania, 2001)Please note the following changes to the ttff schedule.TODAY at 5:30pm, MovieTowne ChaguanasThe screening of Izululu Lami will not take place. Instead, there will be a screening of Maangamizi.Monday, September 27The New Caribbean Cinema screenings will not take place. They will be replaced by Trapped in an Elevator and Alamar.

So, you’re a filmmaker, huh?

2010-09-24T15:30:00.000-07:00

Earlier today, the trinidad+tobago film festival hosted the first of two free filmmakers’ panels at our sponsor hotel, The Carlton Savannah. Admittedly, we were a bit apprehensive that no one would turn up – scheduling anything at ten in the morning of a public holiday is often a risky venture. Thankfully, quite a few film-interested people were present to hear local and

Schedule change

2010-09-23T09:43:00.000-07:00

A still from Linha de Passe (Daniela Thomas + Walter Salles, Brazil, 2008)Please note the following change to the ttff schedule.Friday 24th September, 5:30pm, MovieTowne ChaguanasThe screening of Themba will not take place. Instead, there will be a screening of Linha de Passe.We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Locations for UWI events

2010-09-23T07:28:00.000-07:00

A still from Moloch Tropical (Raoul Peck, Haiti/France, 2010), one of the films screening at UWI as part of the ttff/10Please note the following dates and locations for all film screenings and the adaptation workshop with Caryl Phillips taking place at the University of the West Indies as part of the ttff/10. Check the Festival schedule for the films being screened and their screening

Schedule change

2010-09-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

A still from Insolaçaõ (Daniela Thomas + Felipe Hirsch, Brazil, 2009)Please note the following change to the ttff schedule.Friday 24th September, 12:30pm, MovieTowne Port of SpainThe screening of New Caribbean Cinema will not take place. Instead, there will be a screening of Insolaçaõ.We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

On the Caribbean film beat

2010-09-21T18:46:00.000-07:00

For nearly two decades, Caribbean Beat magazine has covered the arts, culture and lifestyle of the Caribbean with a panache and sophistication that no other publication has come close to matching.We were very pleased, therefore, when, a few years ago, Beat became an official media sponsor of the trinidad+tobago film festival. This year, to coincide with the Festival, the September/October issue